Clint Schnekloth on Why Progressive Churches Matter

Is progressive Christianity losing its soul by abandoning church, worship, and leadership? In this episode, Loren talks with Pastor Clint Schneckloth to explore why faith communities, worship, and theological grounding still matter in progressive spaces. Clint pushes back against the tendency to dismiss church as irrelevant or harmful, offering a vision for how ethical leadership, communal worship, and rooted faith can empower justice work rather than distract from it. He also introduces place-sharing as a model for mission and evangelism, showing how churches can engage their neighbors without compromising progressive values—or their faith commitments.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why Clint wrote about Progressive Church instead of Progressive Christianity
• How worship fuels justice, rather than distracting from it
• The danger of abandoning theological foundations for the sake of inclusivity
• Reclaiming leadership: Ethical authority in progressive communities
• Place-sharing: A relational approach to mission and evangelism

 

Clint Schnekloth is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a progressive church in the South. He is the founder of Canopy NWA (a refugee resettlement agency) and Queer Camp, and is the author of A Guidebook to Progressive Church. He blogs as Lutheran Confessions at Substack.

 

Mentioned Resources:

📚 A Guidebook to Progressive Church by Clint Schneckloth 
✍️ Follow on Substack: Lutheran Confessions https://clintschnekloth.substack.com/
🌐 Good Shepherd Lutheran Church: https://www.goodshepherdnwa.org/staff/
🏳️‍🌈 Canopy NWA & Queer Camp: http://www.canopynwa.org/welcome
🍲 Mutual Aid Partner: Food Not Bombs https://foodnotbombs.net/new_site/

 

Presenting Sponsor:

Phillips Seminary Join conversations that expose you to new ideas, deepen your commitment and give insights to how we can minister in a changing world. 

Supporting Sponsors:

Restore Clergy If you are clergy in need of tailored, professional support to help you manage the demands of ministry, Restore Clergy is for you!

Kokoro  Join in for heartfelt journeys that challenges the way we see ourselves, each other, and the world we share.

 

Future Christian Team:

Loren Richmond Jr. – Host & Executive Producer

Martha Tatarnic – Co-Host

Paul Romig–Leavitt – Associate Producer

Dennis Sanders – Producer

Alexander Lang - Production Assistant